Currency Swap and Gemologist meet at Gulfstream

by Michael Compton 3 years ago

Currency Swap/NYRA photo

Currency Swap and Gemologist, two 3-year-olds with designs on the classic races, are set to clash in an allowance test at Gulfstream Park on Friday. Both horses are making their seasonal bows in the $80,000 race. Currency Swap is 2-for-2 for trainer Terri Pompay, and WinStar Farm’s Gemologist is 3-for-3 for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Florida-bred Currency Swap, by Ocala Stud stallion High Cotton, captured the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga in his 2011 finale, while Gemologist, who stands as the property of a Taylor Made/WinStar venture, won the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs in his last race as a juvenile.

“It came up tough with Todd’s horse in there,” said Pompay, trainer of Currency Swap. “My horse is a monster, but so is Todd’s horse.”

Currency Swap tuned up for his one-mile return with a sharp six-furlong workout in 1:11 2/5 from the starting gate at Gulfstream Park last Saturday.

“That was a fantastic work, way above expectations,” Pompay said. “He did it easily. He hardly took a drink of water cooling out.”

Gulfstream’s leading rider Javier Castellano, who rode Gemologist in his last two starts last fall when he won an allowance race and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs following a debut victory at Turfway Park, is back aboard Friday.